Yep, cars are unforgiving when they sit too long, especially in the winter.

It was a good ride in, and the weather is just great. Two foxes at different places crossed my path this morning, and both looked healthy. It must be
their time of year.

Damp today. It rained pretty hard over night. High 60sF. Headwind. I was starting to reel in a couple of roadies but a trail regular on his mountain bike came out in front of me and was only going 13-15mph so I decided to relax and let him pace me. Exercise is over rated. :p

Yesterday I stayed at work for an extra 30 minutes due to bad thunderstorms, and that got me home dry, but I saw several soggy cyclists and pedestrians on the MUP.

The weather yesterday was incredible compared to most of this summer, with a high in the mid-80s after weeks and weeks of temps ranging from 95-100+. What is amazing to me is that the temperature yesterday was actually pretty close to the normal, long-term average high for this time of year, yet it felt cool because of the hot summer we are having. Unfortunately, the weather is supposed to return to the mid and upper 90s for the rest of the week with high humidity as well. Oh well, only 7 more weeks of summer.

Back from a long weekend camping today, so I felt good and fresh, especially since rain kept my from hiking to the falls I wanted to go see.

All thoughts now on getting some work done the next few days and then leaving Saturday AM for my firts overnight bike tour (an out and back on the C&O Canal). Very exciting...

Decent ride in. Heavy cloud and the threat of rain prompted me to take my heavier, slower, fendered up bike, so it took a few minutes longer. It didn't end up raining in the end (it's quite sunny now, in fact), but oh well, it's good for me to ride my all-weather bike sometimes, even on the nice days.

Nice ride in today, Hume park was foggy which was a nice change. It's definitely dark in the morning these days.

54F, foggy

Lovely ride into work this AM. We've had rain pretty much everyday for a couple weeks. This morning I was finally able to ride in w/o raingear!

Of course that headwind was back, but I'll take wind and sunny blue skies over rain :)

@EKW, sounds like have fun. Have a good time!

Have fun on the canal. A filter bottle might come in handy. Enjoy the quiet miles beyond the 26 mile marker.

Thunderstorm this morning around 3;45 with heavy rain, but it was down to steady rain by 5. I was soaked, but felt good, and I packed all my clothes and towel in plastic. The worst feeling was walking into A/C, as it felt like winter. I hate the feeling. Lots of tiny frogs scurrying across the street in my headlamp.

Swampy! We had a few good downpours and a little thunder over night. This morning the temperature says 71, humidity 98%. It's very hazy. The roads and MUP were wet. My glasses fogged up. My mirror fogged up. After I arrived, it took me about 30 minutes to stop feeling like I was going to melt.

Lately the ride in has been OK, just a little bit on the humid side. The ride home has been quite a bit more challenging. Temp yesterday was 102° with a heat index of 110°. A brisk headwind made it a little more bearable.

I stopped off to vote on the way home and the voting judges were amazed that I had arrived by bicycle. We're still a bit of an anomaly to the general public.

The heat and humidity have returned after a brief respite. My jersey and bike shorts were totally soaked with sweat by the time I arrived at work this morning, and it will be much worse this afternoon with heat index over 100. Rode my touring bike for the first time in several weeks today, and it felt so slow and heavy compared to my racing bikes. My morning commute took 3-4 minutes longer than the past two days on my other bikes.

Arg. Last week I declared myself the "king of the mountain". No longer. My commute home includes a long, gradual climb, gradual until the last 50 feet or so where it suddenly gets quite steep. I often pass one or two other cyclists on that hill, but to date have never been passed (reinforcing my belief in my own climbing prowess). Last night, I was doing my usual climb, pushing myself but not working at capacity. I reached the steep section at the end and had just got out of the saddle to give myself some extra oomph when suddenly, a voice sounds over my left shoulder, "That's a pretty good pace you're setting." The voice turned into a body as another cyclist drew up beside me and then rode past as we reached the top of the hill. But...but...but...I'm supposed to be the fastest climber around here!

Oh, I could make excuses - my bike was heavier, I was carrying a heavier load, my tires were under-inflated, but I was beaten, plain and simple. I do wonder if there would have been a difference if I actually knew I was being reeled in; I might have put in extra effort to stay ahead. But maybe that other guy would have matched my extra intensity and beat me anyways. I'll probably never know.

This morning's ride in was good: 13C, cloudy, and calm. I pumped my tires back up nice and hard which made a difference. I made pretty good time for my MTB. Still not as fast as my road bike.

I know that feeling. I was passed by another cyclist up the mountain in to work for the first time a few weeks ago. Startled the heck out of me and really took me down a few notches. I look forward to spotting other cyclists on the climb and reeling them in. It just gives you a new goal.

Today was a nice warm ride in to work, 18C at 5am in the dark. Pulled in behind the same mountain biker going through North Burnaby.

Re: the filter bottle, I'm not generally too picky about water, so I'm just taking some small powder mixes to help cover up any bad taste in the water. I don't mind a little grit either. Hopefully I won't regret my decision. Given current finances, I'm trying to do this with as minimal an additional investment in equipment as necessary for now... I'll keep that suggestion in mind, though.

I think the quiet miles are the ones I'm most looking forward to. It'll be nice to bet out of "civilization" for a while on some of the more remote stretches of the towpath. FWIW, in case anyone's remotely interested, I started a CGOAB journal here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/MyFirstOvernighter

The commute last night was nice. Swung by the property management company office to drop off the rent check, so I got a different route and 2.5 extra miles out of that.

The ride in this morning was nice. The heat and humidity are back for sure, but it appears to be for only a couple days this time.

54F, foggy. Stopped at Fred Meyer on the way in to buy a vacuum sealer for a big pile of salmon filets I have. Just barely fits in the pannier if I take everything else out. Can't close the top.

We have to get out for a ride... then you can feel good about your climbing abilities again.

:)

An over the top ride to work this am. I'd just left the house, and there was a pick up truck with Jersey plates triple parked. Incredidibly, this moron put up his back up lights from the middle of the street in Manhattan. Cars behind him.

Wham! I slam the bed with the flat of my hand and whizz by this $#%@ screaming "Back to New Jersey". I'm gratified to see this ditzoid was not only attempting an impossible manuever, but doing so with a coffee in his hand which he pours all over himself. To him it's a quick one two - Bang! from the truck followed by screaming a foot from his face.

Immediately after, there's a big Union demonstration complete with big blow up rat, barricades, cops. I whizz through the narrow gap between the barricades and the cops giving them the finger because of the noise they're making with their whistles. Maybe 300 of these #^*!$s. Me 1 Cars 0

About three miles later, at Chelsea Piers, there's a line of cars shooting through a gap like toothpaste you've stepped on. Mostly Taxis taking the wealthy down to the gym. The traffic guy usually lets a couple cars, a few bikes go but the cars are insistent, I mistime it, I go down to the pavement still clipped into the pedals.

I'm screaming "Too Many $#@^* Cars" over and over, having learned a simple message repeated is best for simple minds. I've got a little scrape. Cars 1 Me 0.

Today's commute numbers.

Temp: 81 (f)
Humidity: 91%

I wasn't sure whether to swim or bike into work this morning. Given the humidity, I think I could have made a case for dog-paddling the entire way in. The heat index is supposed to hit 110 this evening. That should make for a fun commute going home.

If you're on the west side of Indy this evening between 5:30-6:30 and you see a large man passed out on the side of the road, while hanging onto a Fisher hybrid, that'll be me. Just wave as you go by...:-)

I hope I'm misreading this. You're planning to just drink from the canal with no treatment?

It's not the taste and texture you should worry about. The water could make you sick. If you don't want to invest in a water filtration system of some sort, you can buy tablets to at least kill the bad things. They are inexpensive and lightweight. I always carry some when I'm backpacking, but they are only my backups as I also carry a filter.

I've been taking proctored final exams for online courses and so have been driving to work the last couple days. I had my last one this morning, and drove on to work afterward as I was already late. At lunch, I drove back home, ate with my wife, and then bicycled back.

It was overcast and unusually dark out and obviously about to start pouring, but the cool wind felt great and I thought I'd try and beat the rain. About half a mile from work it started falling hard. As I was riding into the parking lot another guy from my department was coming out, shaking his head as he saw me ride in.

I'm hoping it is still storming at the end of the workday. It was refreshing to be damp from rainwater rather than from sweat.

No, I was planning on filling up at wells, which are safe for drinking. I do not plan on drinking water from the canal itself. I'm not that stupid! ;)

http://www.nps.gov/archive/choh/Recreation/Camping.html

http://bikewashington.org/canal/plan-food.php

I'll have the capability of storing/carrying over a gallon of water, so even if wells are closed along the way, I can fill up in one of the canalside towns.

This heat is making drivers stupid. Had a soccer mom bully past me coming up to a light despite me being towards the center of the lane. Jerk behind her tried the same thing as we came to a stop. Light turns green and this jerk gets on the horn. I just turned stared him down and didn't give up the lane. At that point he backed down and waited till we cleared the intersection and passed me in an appropriate manner.

I think its time for a mini video camera.
School starts back tomorrow. form experience it is a VERY bad day to be on a bike first few days when school starts. Pissed off soccer moms not use to being out of bed before 10am driving their runny nose brats to school causing traffic problems that wouldn't exist if they jut put them on the bus. I'll be driving for a few days till they get back in their groove as a self preservation move. This time last year I had two of my worst near misses where twits in house coats and slippers just about nailed me making turns.

That's been my experience too. First day of school and first big rain of the season. People lose their frickin' minds.

[edit]

I forgot: I had a first for me this morning. Someone riding a Trikke on the ARBT this morning. It's a scooter/tricycle thing that seems to be powered by rocking back and forth. Not sure how I feel about it. It's slow and takes up the whole lane, but it's human powered.

hot and humid. It IS the Dog days of Hot

As I am proceeding northbound in the Western Ave bike lane, between Pike Market and Virginia, both front flashers on, a Toyota Prius pulls out of a parking spot on the street. I follow him up to Virginia where he begins drifting slooooowwwly into the bike lane, then a bit out of it, then in a little. I fall back behind him as I don't know what he's doing. As we approach the red light at Virginia, he pulls all the way into the bike lane cutting me off; there was no right turn signal. Luckily I wasn't going too fast. I pat the rear of his vehicle, letting him know I'm there and THEN his right turn signal comes on. He doesn't proceed. In the passenger side mirror I see him sllloooowly taking off his seat belt. I stay put b/c he's not in a rush and I'm curious to see what he's going to do. As soon as he's out of the car, he says, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Me, "But I'm right in the bike lane you just went into." He realizes that he didn't hit me (I think this is why he got out of his car, to check) and apologizes again for 'not seeing me.' I tell him, "You know, if you had turned on your signal waaaay back there (I point), I would have fallen back to let you turn but you didn't turn it on until right here." He gets back in car. Turns it on. Sllooowwwwly pulls forward, turn signal goes OFF and he makes a crazy wide turn - I yell "Leave your signal ON, JEEZ!"

Best Part: construction workers jeering him as I am explaining what he did wrong and a pedestrian who saw the whole thing laughing as he pulled away and made his crazy turn.

I did feel kind of bad for him, but maybe he learned his lesson.

It was a nice ride in. The weather is still wonderful, but I heard something about thunder storms later. I have manged to miss most this summer, so hopefully, I will miss this one too. The soaking I don't mind as it is all part of the summer fun.

Only commuted half way today, just after a big rain. But I had to go back and get my bike lock, so I got a couple extra miles in. Beautiful morning, could have rode much further.

77F and humid (82%) again. I tried not to do any actual work. Even left the MUP because something was behind me and I didn't want to race it. Pathetic. :p But I rode through woods for a while, so that was nice.

Still got to work needing to towel off. The AC felt very nice. In a couple of hours I'll have a fleece jacket on. :rolleyes:

Saw some fire engine activity. Lights & sirens. Hooking up to a hydrant. Didn't see any smoke though.

:D +1,000,000

And if it's anything like where I live, you're paying for the bus they're not using.

On the way home last night, I got yelled at...by a magpie. I was cruising down a hill at a pretty good clip, and the stupid thing decided to take flight right across my path. When it was right in front of me, it let out a loud squawk as if to say, "Look out you moron!" I missed it by inches, but at least I missed it.

Kicked butt again on the climb out of the valley, but it was pretty easy pickin's yesterday.

This morning was beautiful. A bit chilly in short sleeves at 12C, but once the blood was pumping, I didn't notice anymore.